CACREP defines a program as a structured sequence of curricular and clinical experiences for which accreditation is sought. In the context of these standards, "programs" are housed within an "academic unit" (see Glossary for definition of these terms). As an example, an institution might have an academic unit that includes both a Community Counseling program and a Mental Health Counseling program.
CACREP recognizes that alternative instruction methods (for example, distance learning) are currently used in many counselor education programs. The following principles apply when evaluating these programs:
a. programs that
use alternative instruction methods will be evaluated with
the same CACREP
Standards for accreditation as programs that employ more traditional methods;
b. accreditation for such programs will be based on their demonstrated compliance with CACREP standards; and
c. programs that
use alternative instruction methods are subject to the same level of review as programs that employ more
traditional methods.
The CACREP Standards are minimal criteria for the preparation of
professional counselors, counselor educators, and student affairs professionals.
Applicants seeking accreditation must document how each program meets
the standards of Sections I–VI and the appropriate program area standards.
The Board believes that the following requirements must be present before
programs are eligible for review.
1.
Entry-level degree programs accepted for review will have a minimum of 72 quarter hours or 48 semester hours of graduate studies.
Mental Health Counseling and Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling/ Therapy
will have a minimum of 90 quarter hours or 60 semester hours of graduate studies.
Doctoral degree programs accepted
for review will have a minimum of 144 quarter hours or 96 semester hours
which includes entry-level preparation.
2. The academic unit that oversees the entry-level program(s) will have a minimum of three (3) core faculty members whose academic appointments are in counselor education; one of the three members will be designated as the academic unit leader. Doctoral programs will have at least two (2) full-time equivalent faculty positions in addition to positions required of entry-level program(s).
3. Curricular experiences and demonstrated knowledge in each of the eight common core areas are required of all students in the program(s) for which accreditation is sought. The common core curricular experiences include the following areas (see, Section II, Standards K. 1–8):
a. Professional Identity
b. Social and Cultural Diversity
c. Human Growth and Development
d. Career Development
e. Helping Relationships
f. Group Work
g. Assessment
h. Research and Program Evaluation
4. Programs for which the Board renders accreditation decisions are:
a. Career Counseling
b. College Counseling
c. Community Counseling
d. Gerontological Counseling
e. Marital, Couple, and Family Counseling/Therapy
f. Mental Health Counseling
g. School Counseling
h. Student Affairs
i. Counselor Education and Supervision (doctoral-level only)
Please note that the above listed Program Area Standards are located immediately after Sections I–VI of the Standards. The appropriate Program Area Standards must be addressed for each program for which accreditation is sought.
5. The academic unit is located in and supported by an educational institution accredited by one of the regional or national institutional accrediting bodies recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
6. The program(s) require(s) supervised experiences, including practicum and internship for all students, as identified in Section III, Clinical Instruction.
7. The academic unit must have students currently enrolled in each program area for which accreditation is sought.
8. Programs
seeking accreditation must have a comprehensive mission statement (see
Section II, Standard A).
Application for Accreditation
Eligibility Requirements Checklist
Please provide documentation illustrating that each of the eight (8) Eligibility
Requirements listed below is met. Please
refer to the previous pages for a complete statement of each of those
requirements. For each item on
the checklist, please reference page numbers where documentation can be
found in the self-study or attach copies of original documentation to
this application.
____________ (3) A common core of curricular experiences is
identified and
required.
____________ (4) Appropriate curricular experiences are required
for
program area(s).
____________ (5) Institution in which academic unit is housed
is accredited
by a regional or institutional accrediting body recognized by
CHEA. Please name the accrediting body and provide
evidence of accreditation.
____________ (6) Practicum and internship experiences are required
for all students.
____________ (7) Students are currently enrolled in the program.
____________ (8) A
comprehensive mission statement has been developed.
Submit this application, self-study materials, and the application
fee* to:
Council for
Accreditation of Counseling
and Related
Educational Programs
5999 Stevenson
Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22304
INTRODUCTION
The counseling profession evolves in anticipation of and response to societal and other changes in the United States and throughout the world. Counselor Education programs prepare students to be effective in a dynamic world and profession. It is imperative that programs explicitly prepare students to be counselors first and counseling specialists second.
CACREP Standards are written to ensure that students develop a professional counselor identity and also master the knowledge and skills to practice effectively. Graduates of CACREP-accredited programs use their education and preparation as paths to careers in community mental health and human service agencies, educational institutions, and private practice, government, business and industrial settings. However, no professional preparation program is ever complete, and advances in knowledge, skills and technology within the profession require life-long continuing education for counselors as well as monitoring and review of professional standards.
CACREP policy requires periodic review, permitting standards revision, including development of new standards or the elimination of obsolete standards. The curricular experiences required by these revised standards are based on due notice and consultation with the professional community and represent collective and informed judgment about their relevancy and appropriateness.
These standards are not intended to discourage creativity on the
part of program faculties. Programs
wishing to justify variations from these standards may submit statements
of rationale as part of their self-studies.
CACREP will determine whether those variations accomplish the outcomes
that the standards are designed to ensure.
Section I
THE INSTITUTION
A. The institution in which the academic unit is housed is accredited by a regional or institutional accrediting body that is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).
B. The current
institutional catalogue or bulletin accurately describes the academic
unit and each program offered, including admissions criteria, minimum
program requirements, matriculation requirements (for example, examinations,
academic-standing policies), and financial aid information.
C. The academic
unit is clearly identified as part of the institution’s graduate offerings
and has primary responsibility for the preparation of students in
the program. If more than one academic unit has responsibility for the
preparation of students in the program, the respective areas of responsibility
and the relationships among and between them must be clearly defined.
D. Cooperative
relationships exist between the academic unit and other academic units
that contribute to the professional preparation of students in the program
as well as off-campus professional and community resources.
E. The institution
is committed to providing the program with sufficient financial support
to ensure continuity, quality, and effectiveness in all of the program’s
learning environments.
F. The institution
provides encouragement and support for program faculty to participate
in professional organizations and activities (for example, professional
travel, research, and leadership positions).
G. The institution
makes available to students in the program personal counseling services
provided by professionals other than program faculty and students.
H. Access to
library and other learning resources is appropriate for scholarly inquiry,
study, and research by program faculty and students.
I. The institution provides technical and financial
support to program faculty and students to ensure access to information
systems and data analysis for
teaching and research.
SECTION II
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND CURRICULUM
A. A comprehensive
mission statement has been developed that brings the program into focus
and concisely describes the program’s intent and purpose. The mission
statement
1. describes the types of students it serves,
its geographic orientation, and the priorities and expectations of the
faculty;
2. is the basis for the development of program
objectives and curriculum;
3. is
published and available to faculty and students; and
4. is
reviewed at least once every three (3) years and revised as needed.
B. The program objectives
1. reflect current knowledge and positions from
lay and professional groups concerning the counseling and human development
needs of a pluralistic society;
2. reflect the present and projected needs of
a pluralistic society for which specialized counseling and human development
activities have been developed;
3. reflect input from all persons involved in
the conduct of the program, including program faculty, current and former
students, and personnel in cooperating agencies;
4. are
directly related to program activities; and
5.
are written so that they can be assessed.
C. Prgrams in Career Counseling, College Counseling,
Community
Counseling,
Gerontological Counseling, School Counseling, and Student Affairs are
comprised of a minimum of two full academic years, defined as four semesters
or six quarters of approved graduate-level study with a minimum of 48-semester
credit hours or 72-quarter credit hours required of all students. Programs in Mental Health Counseling and Marital,
Couple and Family Counseling/Therapy are comprised of approved graduate-level
study with a minimum of 60-semester credit hours or 90-quarter credit
hours required of all students.
D. Students
actively identify with the counseling profession by participating in professional
associations such as the American Counseling Association (ACA), its divisions,
branches, and affiliate organizations, and by participating in seminars,
workshops, or other activities that contribute to personal and professional
growth.
E. Over the
course of one academic term, students meet for a minimum of 10 clock hours
in a small-group activity approved by the program.
This planned group requirement is intended to provide direct experiences
as a participant in a small group.
F. Consistent
with established institutional due process policy and ACA Ethical Standards, when evaluations indicate that a student is not
appropriate for the program, faculty should assist in facilitating the
student’s transition out of the program and, if possible, into a more
appropriate area of study.
G. Flexibility is provided within the program’s
curriculum to accommodate individual differences in student knowledge
and competencies.
H. Syllabi
are distributed at the beginning of each curricular experience, are available
for review by all enrolled or prospective students, and include all of
the following:
1. objectives;
2. content
areas;
3. required
text(s) and/or reading(s);
4. methods of instruction, including a clear
description of how content is delivered (e.g., lecture, seminar, supervised
practical application, distance learning); and
5. student
performance evaluation criteria and procedures.
I. Evidence
exists of the use and application of research data among program faculty
and students.
J. Each program
for which accreditation is sought must show a history of graduates.
K. Curricular
experiences and demonstrated knowledge in each of the eight common core
areas are required of all students in the program.
The eight common core areas follow.
1. PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
- studies that provide an understanding of all of the following aspects
of professional functioning:
a. history and philosophy of the counseling profession, including significant factors and events;
b. professional roles, functions, and relationships with other human service
providers;
c. technological competence and computer literacy;
d. professional organizations, primarily ACA,
its divisions, branches, and affiliates, including membership benefits,
activities, services to members, and current emphases;
e. professional credentialing, including certification,
licensure, and accreditation practices and standards, and the effects
of public policy on these issues;
f. public and private policy processes, including
the role of the professional counselor in advocating on behalf of the
profession;
g. advocacy processes needed to address institutional
and social barriers that impede access, equity, and success for clients;
and
h. ethical
standards of ACA and related entities, and applications of ethical and
legal considerations in professional counseling.
2. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY - studies that
provide an understanding of the cultural context of relationships, issues
and trends in a multicultural and diverse society related to such factors
as culture, ethnicity, nationality, age, gender, sexual orientation, mental
and physical characteristics, education, family values, religious and
spiritual values, socioeconomic status and unique characteristics of individuals,
couples, families, ethnic groups, and communities including all of the
following:
a. multicultural and pluralistic trends, including
characteristics and concerns between
and within diverse groups nationally and internationally;
b. attitudes, beliefs, understandings, and acculturative
experiences, including specific experiential learning activities;
c. individual, couple, family, group, and community
strategies for working with diverse populations and ethnic groups;
d. counselors’ roles in social justice, advocacy
and conflict resolution, cultural self-awareness, the nature of biases,
prejudices, processes of intentional and unintentional oppression and
discrimination, and other culturally supported behaviors that are detrimental
to the growth of the human spirit, mind, or body;
e. theories of multicultural counseling, theories of identity development,
and multicultural competencies; and
f. ethical and legal considerations.
3. HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT - studies that
provide an understanding of the nature and needs of individuals at all
developmental levels, including all of the following:
a. theories of individual and family development
and transitions across the life-span;
b. theories of learning and personality development;
c. human behavior including an understanding of
developmental crises, disability, exceptional behavior, addictive behavior,
psychopathology, and situational and environmental factors that affect
both normal and abnormal behavior;
d. strategies for facilitating optimum development
over the life-span; and
e. ethical and legal considerations.
4. CAREER DEVELOPMENT - studies that provide
an understanding of career development and related life factors, including
all of the following:
a. career development theories and decision-making models;
b.
career, avocational, educational, occupational and labor market
information resources, visual and print media, computer-based career information
systems, and other electronic career information systems;
c. career development program planning, organization,
implementation, administration, and evaluation;
d. interrelationships among and between work,
family, and other life roles and factors including the role of diversity
and gender in career development;
e. career and educational planning, placement,
follow-up, and evaluation;
f. assessment instruments and techniques that
are relevant to career planning and decision making;
g.
technology-based career development
applications and strategies, including computer-assisted career guidance
and information systems and
appropriate world-wide web sites;
h.
career counseling processes, techniques,
and resources, including those applicable to specific populations; and
i. ethical and legal considerations.
5. HELPING RELATIONSHIPS - studies that provide
an understanding of counseling and consultation processes, including all
of the following:
a. counselor
and consultant characteristics and behaviors that influence helping processes
including age, gender, and ethnic differences, verbal and nonverbal behaviors
and personal characteristics, orientations, and skills;
b. an understanding of essential interviewing
and counseling skills so that the student is able to develop a therapeutic
relationship, establish appropriate counseling goals, design intervention
strategies, evaluate client outcome, and successfully terminate the counselor-client
relationship. Studies will also
facilitate student self-awareness so that the counselor-client relationship
is therapeutic and the counselor maintains appropriate professional boundaries;
c. counseling theories that provide the student
with a consistent model(s) to conceptualize client presentation and select
appropriate counseling interventions.
Student experiences should include an examination of the historical
development of counseling theories, an exploration of affective, behavioral,
and cognitive theories, and an opportunity to apply the theoretical material
to case studies. Students will
also be exposed to models of counseling that are consistent with current
professional research and practice in the field so that they can begin
to develop a personal model of counseling;
d. a
systems perspective that provides an understanding of family and other
systems theories and major models of family and related interventions. Students will be exposed to a rationale for
selecting family and other systems theories as appropriate modalities
for family assessment and counseling;
e. a general framework for understanding and
practicing. Student experiences
should include an examination of the historical development of consultation,
an exploration of the stages of
consultation and the major models of consultation, and an opportunity
to apply the theoretical material to case presentations. Students will begin to develop a personal model of consultation;
f. integration of technological strategies and applications within
counseling and consultation processes; and
g. ethical and legal considerations.
6. GROUP WORK - studies that provide both theoretical
and experiential understandings of group purpose, development, dynamics, counseling theories, group counseling methods
and skills, and other group approaches, including all of the following:
a. principles of group dynamics, including group
process components, developmental stage theories, group members’ roles
and behaviors, and therapeutic factors of group work;
b. group leadership styles and approaches, including
characteristics of various types of group leaders and leadership styles;
c. theories of group counseling, including commonalties,
distinguishing characteristics, and pertinent research and literature;
d. group counseling methods, including group counselor
orientations and behaviors, appropriate selection criteria and methods,
and methods of evaluation of effectiveness;
e. approaches used for other types of group work,
including task groups, psychoeducational groups, and therapy groups;
f. professional preparation standards for group leaders; and
g. ethical and legal considerations.
7. ASSESSMENT
- studies that provide an understanding of individual and group approaches
to assessment and evaluation, including all of the following:
a. historical perspectives concerning the nature and meaning of
assessment;
b. basic concepts of standardized and nonstandardized
testing and
other assessment techniques including norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment, environmental assessment,
performance assessment, individual and group test and inventory
methods, behavioral observations, and computer-managed and computer-assisted methods;
c. statistical concepts, including scales of measurement, measures
of central tendency, indices
of variability, shapes and types of
distributions, and correlations;
d. reliability (i.e., theory of measurement error, models of reliability,
and the use of reliability information);
e. validity (i.e., evidence of validity, types of validity, and the
relationship between reliability and validity;
f. age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, disability,
culture, spirituality, and other
factors related to the assessment
and evaluation of individuals, groups,
and specific populations;
g. strategies for selecting, administering, and interpreting
assessment and evaluation instruments and techniques in
counseling;
h. an understanding of general principles and methods of case
conceptualization, assessment, and/or diagnoses of mental and
emotional status; and
i. ethical and legal considerations.
8. RESEARCH
AND PROGRAM EVALUATION - studies that provide
an understanding of research methods,
statistical analysis, needs
assessment, and program evaluation, including all of the following:
a. the importance of research and opportunities
and difficulties in conducting research in the counseling profession,
b. research methods such as qualitative, quantitative, single-case designs, action research, and outcome-based research;
c. use of technology and statistical methods in conducting research
and
program evaluation, assuming basic computer literacy;
d. principles, models, and applications of needs assessment,
program evaluation, and use of findings to effect program modifications;
e. use of research to improve
counseling effectiveness; and
f. ethical and legal considerations.
Section
III
CLINICAL INSTRUCTION
Clinical instruction
includes supervised practica and internships that have been completed
within a student’s program of study.
Practicum and internship requirements are considered to be the
most critical experience elements in the program.
All faculty, including clinical instruction faculty and supervisors,
are clearly committed to preparing professional counselors and promoting
the development of the student’s professional counselor identity.
A. Each regular or adjunct program faculty member
who provides individual or group practicum and/or internship supervision
must have
1. a
doctoral degree and/or appropriate clinical preparation, preferably from an accredited counselor
education program;
2. relevant
professional experience and demonstrated competence in counseling; and
3. relevant
training and supervision experience.
B. Students serving as individual or group practicum
supervisors must
1. have
completed counseling practicum and internship experience
equivalent to those within an entry-level program;
2. have
completed or are receiving preparation in counseling supervision; and
3. be
supervised by program faculty, with a faculty/student ratio that does
not exceed 1:5.
C. A site supervisor must have
1. a
minimum of a master’s degree in counseling or a related profession with
equivalent qualifications, including
appropriate certifications
and/or licenses;
2. a
minimum of two (2) years of pertinent professional experience in the program area in
which the student is completing clinical
instruction; and
3. knowledge
of the program’s expectations, requirements, and evaluation procedures
for students.
D. A clinical instruction environment, on- or
off-campus, is conducive to modeling, demonstration, and training and
is available and used by the program. Administrative control of the clinical
instruction environment ensures adequate and appropriate access by the
faculty and students. The clinical
instruction environment includes all of the following:
1. settings
for individual counseling with assured privacy and sufficient space for
appropriate equipment (for example, TV monitoring and taping);
2. settings
for small-group work with assured privacy and sufficient space for appropriate
equipment;
3. necessary
and appropriate technologies that assist learning, such as audio, video,
and telecommunications equipment;
4. settings
with observational and/or other interactive supervision capabilities;
and
5. procedures
that ensure that the client’s confidentiality and legal rights are protected.
E. Technical assistance for the use and maintenance
of audio and videotape
and computer equipment is available
as well as other
forms of communication technology.
F. Orientation, assistance, consultation, and
professional development opportunities are provided by counseling program
faculty to site supervisors.
G. Students must complete supervised practicum
experiences that total a minimum of 100 clock hours. The practicum provides for the development of counseling skills
under supervision. The student’s practicum includes all of the following:
1. 40
hours of direct service with clients, including experience in
individual counseling and group work;
2. weekly
interaction with an average of one (1) hour per week of individual
and/or triadic supervision which occurs regularly over a
minimum of one academic term by a program
faculty member or a
supervisor working under the supervision of a program faculty member;
3. an
average of one and one half (1 1/2) hours per week of group supervision
that is provided on a regular schedule over the course of the student’s
practicum by a program faculty member or a
supervisor under the supervision of a program faculty member; and
4. evaluation
of the student’s performance throughout the practicum including a formal evaluation after the student completes
the practicum.
H. The program
requires students to complete a supervised internship of 600 clock hours
that is begun after successful completion of the student’s practicum (as
defined in Standard III.G). The
internship provides an opportunity for the student to perform, under supervision,
a variety of counseling activities that a professional counselor is expected
to perform. The student’s internship
includes all of the following:
1. 240
hours of direct service with clients appropriate to the program of study;
2. weekly
interaction with an average of one (1) hour per week of individual
and/or triadic supervision, throughout the internship, (usually
performed by the on-site supervisor;)
3. an
average of one and one half (1 1/2) hours per week of group
supervision provided on a regular schedule throughout the internship, usually performed by a program
faculty member;
4. the
opportunity for the student to become familiar with a variety of professional activities in addition
to direct service (e.g., record keeping, supervision, information and
referral, inservice and
staff meetings);
5. the
opportunity for the student to develop program-appropriate audio and/or
videotapes of the student’s interactions with clients for use in supervision;
6. the
opportunity for the student to gain supervised experience in the use of a
variety of professional resources such as assessment instruments, technologies, print and nonprint
media, professional
literature, and research; and
7. a
formal evaluation of the student’s performance during the
internship by a program faculty member in consultation with the
site supervisor.
I. The practicum and internship experiences
are tutorial forms of instruction; therefore, when the individual supervision
is provided by program faculty, the ratio of 5 students to 1 faculty member
is considered equivalent to the teaching of one (1) three-semester hour
course. Such a ratio is considered
maximum per course.
J. Group supervision
for practicum and internship should not exceed 10 students.
K. Clinical experiences (practicum and internship)
should provide opportunities for students to counsel clients who represent
the ethnic and demographic diversity of their community.
L. Students formally evaluate their supervisors
and learning experience at the
end of their practicum and internship experiences.
M. Programs
require students to be covered by professional liability insurance while enrolled or participating
in practicum, internship, or
other field experiences.
Section IV
FACULTY AND
STAFF
A. The counselor education academic unit must
demonstrate that it has faculty resources of appropriate quality and sufficiency
to achieve its mission and objectives. The academic unit has an identifiable full-time core faculty responsible
for its leadership who:
1. are
sufficient in number for their academic and professional responsibilities;
2. number
at least three (3) individuals whose academic appointments are to the
unit in counselor education; (If one or more of the three (3) academic
appointments is not teaching full-time in the academic unit then there
must be at least three (3) full time equivalent (FTE) faculty teaching
in the academic unit);
3. have
earned doctoral degrees in counselor education, preferably from CACREP
accredited programs, or doctoral degrees in a closely related field;
4. have
relevant preparation and experience in the assigned area of teaching;
5. identify
with the counseling profession through memberships and involvement in
appropriate professional organizations (i.e., ACA and its divisions, branches, and affiliate organizations)
and appropriate certifications (e.g., NCC) and/or licenses (e.g., LPC)
pertinent to the profession; and
6. have
the authority to determine program curricula within the structure of the
institution’s policy.